Wednesday, December 30, 2009

‘Bahuroopi’ to be a low-key affair this time

The Hindu-Karnataka-Mysore Dt.29-12-2009, By Muralidhara Khajane

Old plays like ‘Gandhi vs. Gandhi’ to be staged again


This is the second time that the festival may be held without a permanent director for Rangayana

The festival to be held in February or March will be the eighth such festival




Rangayana has to its credit seven national-level theatre festivals.

Mysore: “Bahuroopi”, the theatre festival being conducted by the State-run-theatre repertory Nataka Karnataka Rangayana from the past seven years in Mysore will be held either in February or in March 2010, according to sources in the Department of Kannada and Culture.

Significantly for the second time the festival is being conducted in the absence of permanent director. “Bahuroopi-2008” was held after the former director of Rangayana Chidambara Rao Jambe demitting office and now “Bahuroopi” will be conducted after B. Jayashree resigned from the post of the director.

The sources said that it was tentatively decided to organise “Bahuroopi” both in Mysore and Dharwad. Popular theatre groups from across the country will stage plays on the occasion.

However, this year’s “Bahuroopi” will be a low-key affair this time in the wake of havoc caused by floods in north Karnataka.

The sources add that the theatre lovers will not be disappointed as good quality plays to be staged. It is yet to be decided whether the theatre festival should be a three-day or a five-day affair.

Rangayana has been organising “National Theatre Festival” for the past few years. It is one of the major theatre festivals in the country. Artistes, writers and theatre personalities from different parts of the country will participate in the festival.

Each theatre festival has a specific theme based on which the plays to be staged are selected. “Akka”, the first National Theatre Festival organised by Rangayana witnessed the staging of plays which focussed on the problems being faced by women.

The plays staged during the second festival focussed on the problems of the downtrodden and the exploited. The plays in a way advocated equality of all people in society and stressed on the need to create equal educational, economic and social opportunities for all sections of society. The third festival focused on the problems children face in our society and the state of children’s theatre in our country.

The fourth festival focused on the impact of liberalisation on indigenous culture and the fifth dwelt on the agrarian crisis and the phenomenon of farmers’ suicide.

In the sixth festival, Rangayana focused on the tribal culture, which is facing threat because of the ‘post-liberal’ economy. Ironically, the seventh festival that was organised by Rangayana had “Freedom” as its theme. According to sources, it is yet to be decided as to what the theme of this year’s “Bahuroopi” should be. Though it will be a low-key affair it is unlikely to be cancelled as it is thought that such a move might set a bad precedent.

However, this year’s “Bahuroopi” will be a pure theatre experience for the people as other programmes such as handicrafts mela, book exhibition, film festival, sculpture workshop, seminars and symposiums have not been planned.

It is to be noted that all these were a part of the theatre festivals held in the previous years.

The sources added that the Rangayana artistes had something significant to offer during this year’s “Bahuroopi” and every care will be taken to safeguard the image of the festival.

Meanwhile, several plays that were staged earlier will be staged yet again.

The plays that are likely to be staged yet again include “Gandhi vs. Gandhi”, “Gunamukha”, “Krishne Gowdara Aane” and “Pugalendi Prahasana”.

The Department of Kannada and Culture has requested a noted theatre personality to conduct a workshop at Rangayana.

The workshop is expected to begin shortly.

According to the sources, it is likely that a popular theatre personality from some other part of the country will be given the responsibility of directing a new play.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/12/29/stories/2009122956870300.htm

Saturday, November 28, 2009

The Hindu - Wednesday, Nov 25, 2009

Karnataka - Mysore

Lingadevaru Halemane named Rangayana head

MYSORE: Theatre repertory Rangayana got a new Director with the State Government clearing the name of well-known linguist and writer Lingadevaru Halemane on Tuesday.

When contacted, Dr. Halemane, who recently retired from the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), said that the news came as a complete surprise. “I was not in the race for the director’s post nor did I lobby for it though I was under pressure from various quarters. Though I am yet to receive the official orders, I was informed about the Government’s decision by Jayachamaraje Urs, Secretary, Department of Kannada and Culture, who called to congratulate me,” said Dr. Halemane.

“Actually I am in a dilemma as I was preparing to take charge as Chairman of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts. But I have been associated with Rangayana since its inception and have been a member of the Ranga Samaja. I have also been closely involved with all its activities, including conducting seminars during the national theatre festivals. I am also aware of the problems plaguing Rangayana and hence am thinking of accepting the post,” he said.

When asked what would be his first priority on taking charge, Dr. Halemane said that he was interested in the welfare of the artistes and would take steps to ensure Rangayana’s robust growth.

Dr. Halemane was offered the post of Rangayana director a few years ago but CIIL was reluctant to depute him. “Now that I have retired from CIIL, there will be no problem in accepting the post,” said Dr. Halemane. The post fell vacant after B. Jayashree quit exactly one month ago after a series of controversies.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Article on Rangayana by Nataraja Honnavalli



Saturday, September 19, 2009

Nine-day theatre festival in Mysore during Dasara

Nataka Karnataka Rangayana, the theatre repertory, will be organising nine-day B.V. Karanth Navaratri Rangotsava from September 19 as part of Dasara celebrations.
There will also be an exhibition of traditional dolls, line drawings by Kuppachar and paintings of personalities who have served the cause of professional theatre, on the occasion.
Three children’s dramas will also be staged during the festival. Director of Rangayana B. Jayashree told presspersons here that troupes from the children’s theatre repertory of the Dharwad unit of the Rangayana, Deena Bandhu Makkala Mane of Chamarajanagar and Natana Drama School would be staging plays during the festival.

Senior theatre artistes would be felicitated during the festival, she added.
Minister for Agricultural Marketing Shivaraj Tangadagi will inaugurate the festival on September 19. Chandrashekhara Kambara, noted playwright, would be the chief guest and he would felicitate senior theatre artiste G.V. Sharada, she said. Checkmate, a production of Rangayana, directed by Anup Joshi of Bhopal, will be staged on the occasion.

On September 20, a troupe from Vidyavardhaka College will stage Prasanna’s Kondavararu, directed by S. Ramanath, and Mr. Kuppachar will be felicitated.

Students of Koutilya Vidyalaya will stage Dr. Kambara’s Alibaba Mattu Nalavattu Mandi Kallaru, directed by Saroja Hegde, on September 21. Sudhamani, an artiste from Chitradurga, will be felicitated on the occasion.
On September 22, students of JSS Mahila College will stage Nanda Halemane’s Tranku, directed by Nandini K.R., and Kashi Rao Patil, a freedom fighter from Raichur, will be felicitated.

Children from the Deena Bandhu Makkala Mane will stage Dundiraj’s Ajji Kathe, directed by Ramu, on September 23, and Chennamma, a progressive organic farmer from Bangalore Rural district, will be felicitated by noted social scientist Muzaffar Assadi.

On September 24, students of Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts (CAVA) will stage The Bourgeois Gentleman, an adaptation of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme by A.N. Murthy Rao, directed by ‘Mime’ Ramesh, and Hajabba, a well-known social reformer from Mangalore, will be felicitated.

Children from Natana school will stage Vaidehi’s Satru Andre Satraa, directed by noted film and theatre personality Mandya Ramesh, on September 25, and Riaz Ahmad will be felicitated for his social service.

On September 26, students of Vijaya Vitthala College will stage Tabarana Kathe, an adaptation of Poornachandra Tejaswi’s novel by R. Nagesh, directed by M.C. Krishna Prasad, on September 26, and Irsing of Dharwad will be felicitated.

On September 27, children from Dharwad’s Rangayana unit will stage H.S. Venkatesh Murthy’s Alilu Ramayana, directed by Hulgappa Kattimani, and yoga expert H.B. Ramesh from Hassan will be felicitated on the occasion.

The exhibitions will be open for the public from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on all the nine days. The plays will be staged twice a day — at 3 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. Those interested may collect passes from the Rangayana office.
The Hindu - MYSORE, September 15, 2009